Muffuletta Sandwich

I recall growing up and my parents really loving a particular sandwich. I never really understood the love of the sandwich until I visited New Orleans last year. Sure, my wife and I made an attempt to try as much of the food in so little time, but simply got stuck on the wonderful shrimp Po’ Boys from Johnny’s in New Orleans, among other things. After some research on some of the eateries, we came across a famous store known as the Central Grocery. I told my wife that we just had to try their sandwich, known as the muffuletta. My wife, not knowing what the heck a muffuletta was, seemed happy to try something new, so we strolled to the grocery and I fell in love. Everything about the interior. A couple of the owners were running the show behind the counter.

Very old school Italian style, they looked the type that you didn’t want to joke around with, just order the sandwich and go sit down. As we waited in the very long line, we began to observe the ordering process. Grab your chips, gaze at the local Italian goodies, then place your order. I ordered their famous muffuletta, and my wife, after realizing there was an olive salad as being part of the sandwich, decided to have everything but the olive salad. I chuckled and informed her that the olive salad is what makes the muffuletta, but she enjoyed the sandwich, and experience regardless.

Well, this past week was a big day of football for the state of Wisconsin. It was a Green Bay Packer playoff game. The big question on these types of days is ‘What should to eat for the game?’. My wife wanted nachos. I wanted the muffuletta. I could not help thinking about the flavors of this sandwich. I had most, if not all of the ingredients, so it was game on for me. Lets get started on making this sandwich.

Begin by making your olive salad first. Chop and mix everything in a bowl, then store in sealed tight container in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours. Overnight is best. When you are ready to make the sandwich, slice the Italian round loaf horizontally. Remove some of the interior of the bread as it is a lot of bread. Place a generous amount of the olive salad with oil on the base of the bread. Your next decision is how do you want to layer it. Cheese first? Meat? I start with the slices of salami, then the provolone cheese, the ham, the swiss cheese, then the mortadella. Place more olive salad on top, placing the top of the bread on top. Push down slightly, then with your bread knife, cut into half, then cut into wedges.

Trust me when I say this. It is a perfect sandwich. The flavors of the olive salad, along with the great balance of cheeses and Italian cold cuts, really reminds me of New Orleans, and goes to show that anyone can make this sandwich. Perfect for any occasion, but it especially good watching a sporting event on television. The sandwich holds up as a great leftover as well. Enjoy.

Thank you for visiting my website. Truly, I do appreciate it. My free time and stress reliever is cooking for my family, friends, and everyone in between. The recipes you find on this site are those that I have either created, been part of, or those that I simply enjoy and have made my own in some shape, form, or other.
My focus has always been on comfort food, because at the end of a long work day, you want something comforting. I currently am the father of three children, and married to a wonderful wife of thirteen years. There is nothing fancy with these recipes, just simple, and I will admit, not so simple ingredients, and a simple kitchen corner I can call my own.
I learned early on that cooking and bringing family together was very important. After all, this notion of being together at dinner time was instilled early on by my parents. There are many memories of being in the kitchen with my parents, watching them cook, or preparing meals, or those home cooked smells while waiting for dinner. My parents who worked full-time, always had home cooked meals during the week, with the exception of Friday nights where we would enjoy a Wisconsin fish fry, and often on late afternoons on Sunday, where we would order Ann's pizza.
I tend to cook by making things up. As a home cook, I think you have to take chances, and add or subtract ingredients that make up a dish, and make them your own. Remember to taste, and taste often. If a dish has potential, try it again, and make it your own.
You should also note that I do not count calories, or break down recipes into grams of anything. To me, that's a bit boring. My philosophy is that if the food is good, eat it, and eat it in moderation. Life is just too short not to enjoy good food.
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